>One note of interest: the current Chinese 211 seems to behave every bit as
>well as anything vintage >from the U.S.A., per comments from one user...
>>I guess it's all just a matter of time...I recall as kids we used to laugh
>at anything that was marked >"Made In Japan" --- and look at what's
>happened since then...
I recently examined a couple of Chenese 211's at table at a hamfest.
Physically, they looked pretty much identical to the originals. Didn't ask
how much, since I have a lifetime collection of oniginal spares for my
homebrew rig that uses them in the rf driver stage.
They are making 203-A's too?
Once they master the techniques of thoriated tungsten filaments, they should
be able to produce tubes just as good as the old RCA's, at a fraction of the
price.
Of course, even if the Chinese products end up with the quality, consistency
and durability of originals, audiophools will insist the originals have a
"warmer" sound, so the price of vintage triodes isn't likely to decrease
any time soon.
Wonder how long before I can start buying Chinese 211's, 204A's and HF-300's
at Wal-Mart.
Don k4kyv